Wii Fit

I mentioned earlier that N's birthday was this week. N has been saving his money for months trying to purchase a wii system and he finally reached his goal this week. So, on his birthday, he purchased his wii. He's had a blast playing the wii sports program that comes with the console. It's no surprise to me that he prefers the wii over his ps2. After all, the anorexia seems to compel him to exercise as much as possible, and movement is the big selling point of the wii.

I think I knew that he would also be drawn to the new wii fit program. Again, it's the same magnetic draw of exercise in any form. I also knew that we wouldn't let him purchase the game, especially because we are already limiting exercise -- as much because of the calorie drain as because of the OCD compulsion.

I've read a handful of reviews since wii-fit's release. I was horrified to find out that wii-fit has you input your height and weight, in order to determine BMI, and then adjusts your mii's appearance accordingly. One disgusted woman described her amazement as the program made her custom-created mii (your character) "even fatter" after she entered her BMI. She said it adjusted her character to a setting even higher than those available where you create your characters. I also watched a youtube video where a man's character was made to look fat because he had a higher weight due to muscle mass. I can't believe this! There is no way I would let N buy this program now that I know this fact. It's one thing that he struggles with his own actual body image. I'm sure that any wii-fit adjustments to his mii would just mirror the body image distortion that exists in his disordered brain. How is that society has taken warped body images even to the virtual world?

Update: I read this article this afternoon. Apparently, the wii-fit program doesn't even use appropriate BMIs for children.